Ascension
by P.J. Lowry
Summary: Eli manages to cheat fate and accomplish the impossible, meeting new people who never expected to see him on their plane of existence.
1. Chapter 1

As Eli opened his eyes, there was a bright light shining down that prevented him from seeing what or where he was. There was a lot of talking, but he couldn't hear it as he had trouble focusing on what was going on. As he began to focus, he felt like he was home and back on earth. The sky was blue and the sun was out and beaming into his eyes. He could feel the ground on his back as it felt like he was lying down in the middle of a clean cut field of grass. This caused Eli to be very confused as he little idea of where he was or what was going on.

"He's coming around!" one voice said.

"Give him some space, let him adjust." another quickly added.

"How did he get here?" a third asked.

"Most likely how we all did." another answered, "How he did it alone without our assistance is amazing."

"He truly is the wonder boy they said he was."

"Hey, let's not continue that over here." Eli said as he tried to sit up. He didn't have the energy and lay back down.

"Lay down," the first voice said to him. "Give yourself a chance to adjust and set with your new surroundings."

"Did it work?" Eli asked as again tried to sit up. With some help from the people around him, he was successful this time. He looked down and realized that his clothes were gone and was replaced by a robe like gown that was white as snow. "What happened to my clothes?" He paused for a moment when something else dawned on him. "I'm not on Destiny anymore, am I?"

"No son." an older looking man said from behind. "You've moved way beyond that."

Eli rubbed his eyes for a moment. "You mean it worked? I actually managed to ascend?"

"No one is more shocked than us, Mr. Wallace." someone else said, "You have earned the respect of a lot of us up here. Usually a human being is unable to ascend without our help. The fact that you managed to reach our plain of existence without that help has impressed us greatly."

"So you're not mad I crashed the party?" Eli asked.

"Quite the opposite, Eli." the woman holding him up answered. "We have been watching you and the people on Destiny for some time. The fact that you are here now gives us a chance to speak and gain even more insight to your amazing journey."

"Sure, I can't see why not." Eli said as he started to stand up. It was a struggle as his legs were wobbly, but the other ancients around him were eager to help him up. As Eli made it to his feet, what he saw next really took him by surprise. There was a small village at the bottom of the small hill he was lying on. It looked very primitive with no technology what so ever but given who he was with, it was clear they didn't need such stuff any more. They slowly began to walk down a small path to the village below and after passing through the gates into town, they slowly walked Eli to a small table and sat him down to rest.

"Can we get you something to drink?" the lady helping him asked.

"Please." Eli said eager to have anything. A few moments later, he was given a tall glass of something that looked like lemonade. After tasting it, he was correct in his guess. "Thank you very much."

"You're quite welcome." Another man said from the other side of the table.

After another awkward silence, the people who surrounded the table to watch Eli drink his lemonade soon parted as someone else was arriving to visit him. From how they parted the waves, Eli could tell this might be the person in charge of everything around here. The man who arrived was older than everyone else, and had a robe that suggested authority as did everyone else's reaction as they all bowed and backed away before his presence. The old man stood there and looked down at Eli. "Eli Wallace." The man said as he looked down at him. "I can clearly say it is a surprise to see you here."

"To be honest." Eli replied with a smile. "I'm just as surprised as you are."

"You have done something that less than half a percent of your race is capable of doing. You are the first person from earth to achieve 'ascension' since the arrival of Dr. Jackson some years ago. I sincerely hope that your stay here will not be as eventful as his was." The old man looked down at Eli with a scowl on his face, hoping for the right answer.

Eli looked at him and at the people around staring at him. "I never had the pleasure of meeing Dr. Jackson. What happened when he came up here?"

"He didn't follow the rules." The elder answered. "He interfered with things that we have sworn not to step in with, that being the natural evolution of the galaxies."

"Hey, I'm all about following the rules." Eli said as he held up his hands. "I promise to be a good boy for as long as I'm allowed to hang around."

A warm smile came across the old man's face. "We are grateful to hear that Mr. Wallace. Welcome to our humble village. We too hope your visit here is a long and productive stay."

Upon hearing their leader say that, everyone in audience began to cheer and clap, welcoming Eli to what was his new home among the ascended ancients.


	2. Chapter 2

Eli took the rest of the day, or at least what seemed like the rest of the day to him, to get to know his new friends. The nice lady that helped him from the field was Ju' lo and the man that also helped him up was an elder named Marrec. Everyone was happy to see Eli, and walked him back to a small hut that they had cleared to make room for him. There was a nice cot to sleep on, a table like desk for him to read or study at, and even something to write on should he want to make notes.

"I hope this is to your liking, Eli." Ju' lo said to him as the walked in.

"This is perfect." Eli said as he looked around. "I'm just curious about something."

"What is it?" Ju' lo asked.

"Why do advanced beings live in what looks like a pre-industrial society. Like we are on a higher plane but it doesn't feel like it based on what I see." he explained. "I don't mean to be insulting, but it seems rather weird to me."

"It's different for everyone, Eli." Ju' lo explained. "The mind creates an environment that is easiest for the mind to handle. So for you, your mind thought this was the best to work with. When Daniel Jackson came up, his mind pictured a Diner that he used to visit in a city called Seattle."

"So this all looks different to you?" Eli asked.

"To me I'm back on Atlantis, Showing you to your quarters. The only thing that stays the same for everyone is what we are wearing. Hence why we all look the same." Ju' lo replied. "I'm quite surprised by your selection as well. Most of could have sworn yours would be similar to Destiny."

"Perhaps my mind was sick and tired of living there too." Eli suggested.

"Perhaps." Ju' lo concurred, "But you're free to go back whenever you want."

"I am?" Eli asked.

"We are ascended beings. We are free to go anywhere we want in the Universe as long as we follow the rules." Ju' lo replied. "But you need to learn the rules and gain knowledge of how things work her before the elders let you start wandering around."

"Seems fair." Eli agreed, "I mean you shouldn't be allowed to drive a car until you have your license."

"Excuse me?" Ju' lo asked.

"Nevermind." Eli replied. "I have no problems doing whatever is asked of me. I'm just happy to be here at all. I didn't think I was going to make it."

"That makes two of us." Ju' lo said with a smile. "But we are just as happy to see you."

"Thanks. I was kind of worried I wouldn't be accepted." Eli confessed.

"A few of the elders are concerned after the actions of Dr. Jackson, but if you follow the rules I am sure they will come around as well." Ju' lo replied. "In the mean time, it is time for you to enlighten yourself."

"Enlighten myself?" Eli repeated. "How do I accomplish that?"

"With this." Ju' lo said as she opened the door and someone else walked into the hut with a rather large looking book in his hands. The book itself looked very, very old and the elder who walked in with it placed it down on the table with a thud.

Eli walked over and opened the book. He couldn't believe what he saw and flipped through a few pages. Confused, he looked back at Ju' lo. "The pages are all blank?"

"This is the book of infinte knowledge." Ju' lo said as she walked over. "Open the book to any page you like and ask a question, any question. It will reveal the answer to you no matter how personal or secret the question is. This will allow you to gain the knowledge of everything that has gone on in the Universe."

"So when is this due to return to the library?" Eli asked.

"Never. It's yours to keep." Ju' lo answered. "But as per our rules, it must remain here in your room. You cannot take it anywhere with you."

"Understood." Eli said as he sat down. "This will be interesting."

"Start with small questions, and then eventually you will know everything." Ju' lo said as she walked to the exit of his hut. "You have all the time you'll ever need."

After she left the hut, Eli looked back at the book. He opened to a random blank page. He paused for a moment. "Why are green olives in glass jars when black olives come in cans?"

Slowly the book began to write something down for him. "Green olives are in jars so you can see what they are stuffed with."

"Wow, I guess it works." Eli said to himself as he sat up in his chair. He sat there for a few moments, trying to think of what he wanted to ask next. There were so many questions flying through his head but for some reason he didn't want to ask that one. Finally he came to a question he had been dying to know for a very long time. He looked down at the book. "I want to know what happened between Dr. Rush and Colonel Young the day that Dr. Rush disappeared."

Rather than write down the answer... the book started to show slivers of colour until the entire page became like a com panel, playing a video for him to watch. Eli was blown away from the magical looking trick the book was peforming before him, but like Ju' lo explained to him earlier, probably what she saw was him playing with a control panel in his quarters in Atlantis. He watched the video as it showed Colonel Young and Dr. Rush talking outside the alien spacecraft. Eli then watched in shock as the two of them began to fight, one which ended shorted as Colonel Young beating Rush rather easily and knocking him to the ground.

"Are we done?" the Colonel asked Rush.

"We'll never be done!" Rush roared back at him.

With that, the Colonel grabbed Rush by the collar and drove his own forehead into Rush's, knocking the weak scientist out with a vicious head butt. Eli watched in shock as the Colonel left Rush there and walked back to the gate.

"Where's Rush?" Greer asked as Young approached the Gate.

"He didn't make it." Young answered. "Let's get out of here."

Eli slammed the book closed. "That son of a bitch!" He stood up and paced around his room, brewing over what he just saw for what seemed like hours but was probably just a few moments. Eli let his emotions get the best of him but now he had the power. He sat back down and opened the book again. As of that moment, every one on board Destiny or anyone else that Eli could think of in the Stargate Program no longer had the ability to keep a secret. Not from Eli that is...


	3. Chapter 3

Eli remained in his hut for a very long time. He didn't come out for food or even to interact with anyone. He stayed in there for over four months, gaining enlightenment at a pace that started to impress the ascended ancients that were already there. When Eli finally came back out, he had gained more knowledge than a human being could in several lifetimes.

When he came out, Ju' lo was there to see if he was all right. "Are you all right Eli?" she quickly asked.

"I"m fine." Eli said, rather calmly. "I've learned a lot in there. I could have stayed there forever but something was bothering me."

"What is it, Eli." Ju' lo inquired.

"Destiny." Eli answered. "I'm just concerned about my friends. I want to be sure they're safe."

"I know you're concerned." Ju' lo said. "Would you like to go visit them?"

"Can we?" Eli asked.

"I can't see why not. We'll have to ask the elders for permission of course." Ju' lo answered.

They sought council with the elders, and Eli was nervous meeting with them. They were only five of them, and he recognized the one that met him when he had first arrived, sitting at the center of them all. After they made their request to visit the destiny, they mulled the request before the elder at the center spoke first. "Should we grant you access to visit the lower planes, will you abide by the rules to not interfere with the natural evolution of the human species."

"Everyone on the ship will be asleep." Eli answered. "I won't be talking to anyone."

"You are allowed to talk to people, Mr. Wallace." one of the other elders added, "You just can't share anything you have learned from here with them. Talking is not interference, but giving away knowledge is or trying to step into a fight that isn't your own is."

"I get it. So as long as I keep my secrets to myself, I can talk to anyone?" Eli asked.

"Correct." the elder answered. "The temptation to interfere will be great. You have powers that are not to be used, but power does corrupt."

"I can handle it." Eli answered. "I only want to make sure the people I care about are all right."

"Then you may go." the elder replied. "Would you be offended if we asked that you take a quide with you on your first journey."

Eli paused for a moment, "That would depend on the guide."

"We noticed you are close with Ju' lo." Another elder stepped in. "Would that be all right?"

"Of course." Eli answered. "That would be cool."

Moments after their request was accepted, Eli and Ju' lo were onboard the Destiny. Eli knew the life support systems were turned off, but both of them had no problem walking around. Neither were actual breathing lifeforms, so things like air and even gravity wasn't really necessary. The ship was still in hyperspace, making it's long journey away from the machines that was bothering it and to the next galaxy ahead. Ju' lo didn't say anything and just followed Eli around as he was checking on things and measuring stuff along the way to his eventual destination: the control room. The bridge was still shut down and he didn't want to waste power to open it, so he went back the small room he had become accustomed to since the beginning of his advenure onboard Destiny. He walked up to the console he was most comfortable with and started to check the systems and the status of the hyperdrive.

"What are you doing?" Ju' lo asked as she walked into the room behind him.

"Nothing." Eli answered. "Just checking up on everyone. Making sure the pods are all still active and Destiny is still on course and enough juice to make it to the next galaxy. I'm not changing anything, merely looking to make sure everything is where it should be."

"Ok." Ju' lo said as she wandered around. She paused for a moment. "Eli."

"Yes." he called back.

"Is that you?" Ju' lo asked.

Eli walked over and it was him. Or at least him before he left this plane of existance. "That is took weird." Eli said as he walked closer to his own corpse. Because there was no life support was turned off, his body was perfectly preserved and looked as if he only passed away a few days ago. He looked over to Ju' lo. "Can we move... me. I mean this isn't exactly what I want them to see when they wake up."

"All right, where do you want to put... yourself?" Ju' lo asked.

"I guess the infirmary would be best." Eli answered. They both had no trouble picking his corpse up since there was no gravity and slowly wandered down the hall to the infirmary. "Everything seems to be going well." Eli added.

"I"m glad to hear that. Maybe now you'll relax." Ju' lo replied.

"I'll relax three years from now when the ship makes it to the next galaxy." Eli confessed. "Between now and then I will try not to be a royal pain to you and the others."

"We appreciate the thought, Eli." Ju' lo replied, "But saying and doing are two different things."

"I get it." Eli said as he guided her towards the infirmary. "I'll try my best to keep myself occupied and not think of Destiny too much."

"It's not that Eli." Ju' lo said as she followed. "If this is all you're going to do when you're here, check up data and just walk around then no one has a problem with you dropping by and watching over your friends to make sure they're all right."

"Thanks." Eli said. "It means a lot to be able to do that."

They made it to the infirmary, and slowed moved Eli's lifeless corpse to one of the medical tables. They both put a blanket over the corpse before Eli used the bed's straps to tie himself down. He didn't make the straps too tight, just in case.

"If you need to do anything else." Ju' lo added, "Ask me first, and then I'll let you know if it will get you into trouble or not."

"How about visiting my Mom?" Eli asked. "Just to let her know that I'm okay and hanging out with some really cool people."

"As long as you don't tell her who you're with and what you've learned, I can't see why not." Ju' lo replied. "You can speak to anyone on earth as long as you don't share any of the englightened knowledge you've gained since joining us."

"So how do I get there?" Eli asked. "Click my heels three times and say there's no place like home?"

Ju' lo smiled, "Not quite. Just close your eyes and think of where you want to be. Your mind and powers will do the rest."

Eli smiled. "Okay. I'll give it a try." He stood there in the infirmary and closed his eyes and began to think of the first place he wanted to visit. Stargate Command...


	4. Chapter 4

General Hank Landry was used to at least one thing going wrong each day at the SGC. So when a good day comes along and everything seems to be all right, he never complained about it and went with the flow rather than look for something to ruin it. After going through a unique but satisfying debriefing with SG-12, Landry decided it was time to call it a day. He had a little paper work to do in his office, but the heavy lifting for the day was done. He strolled out of the conference room and over into his office. When he walked in there, the General got the surprise of his life. Standing in his office, waiting patiently was a young man. He was dressed in what seemed like a white robe like clothing, something he had never seen before. The young man looked familar to him, but he couldn't figure it out. "Who are you?" Landry asked rather sternly, "What are you doing in my office?"

"I hope I didn't surprise you." Eli replied. "You don't know me personally, but my name is Eli."

"Eli... Eli... Eli..." Landry pondered it for a moment. "Are you Eli Wallace?"

"Yes, that's me!" Eli said, slightly flattered. "But how..."

"Over there." Landry said as he pointed to the other side of the room. "In that filing cabinet is a dossier of every human being that is currently off world. Nobody leaves this planet without my knowledge, or approval."

"Okay." Eli replied, slightly impressed. "I am definitely talking to the right guy here."

"Anyway, what the hell are you doing here?" Landry said as he closed the door behind him. "The last time I checked you were still on Destiny!"

"Well, I'd like to tell you how I got here." Eli said, "But I can't."

"Why not?" Landry asked.

"That's classified." Eli answered.

"That's not funny Mr. Wallace, especially since you're not a member of the US Miltitary." Landry said as he walked over to his desk and finally took a seat.

"Well I have a new group of people I answer to, and I'm kinda sworn to secrecy." Eli explained. "If you figure it out yourself I can confirm or deny, but I can't tell you outright. That's against the rules."

"I'm not in the mood for guessing games Mr. Wallace." Landry honestly confessed. "Perhaps you'd like to think it over in the brig."

"Well, that's not very nice." Eli replied.

"I'm a soldier." Landry explained. "I'm not paid to be nice." There was a sudden knock at the door. Laudry paused for a moment. "Who is it?"

"General, it's Col. Carter and Dr. Jackson." a voice called from outside.

"I would really like to talk to Dr. Jackson." Eli informed Landry. "It would really cut down on the guessing game you're not interested in."

Laudry seemed satisfied with that. "Come in." he called.

Carter and Jackson opened the door and strolled into the room. When Dr. Jackson noticed Eli he immediately backed away. "General, what is this being doing here?"

Laudry seemed confused. "Being? This is Eli Wallace from the Destiny."

"No, no." Eli corrected. "Being is quite accurate given the current situation."

"Holy smokes." Jackson said as he came back into the room. "When did you ascend?"

"Several months ago." Eli confessed. "It's been rather enlightening."

"Eli ascended?" Landry repeated, "But does that mean he's..."

"Dead. Yes, Sir." Carter confirmed. "What happened over there, Eli?"

"I couldn't repair the last stasis pod." Eli answered. "I had three weeks left until life support would run out and I had very few options."

"So you ascended?" Dr. Jackson asked.

"Yeah." Eli said with a smile. "I did."

"How did you pull that one off, wonder boy?" Landry asked.

"It was actually his idea." Eli said as he pointed to Dr. Jackson. "I was going through Rush's stuff, and he happened to have one of your SGC instructional videos. In this one, you talked about the idea of ascension. I had no other options left, so I gave it a try. I looked up everything Destiny had on the subject and used that information with your video to give it my best shot."

"And you just happened to hit the bullseye." Landry filled in.

"On my first try too!" Eli bragged.

"What about the ascended ancients?" Col. Carter asked. "How did they respond?"

"Well, I'm a little popular up there right now." Eli said with a cocky grin. "You on the other hand are still in their bad books." Eli was pointing to Dr. Jackson when he made that comment.

Dr. Jackson sighed. "Thanks for the update."

"This is very interesting..." Landry said as he interupted. "But I'm more concerned about the men and women on Destiny. How are they doing?"

"They're fine." Eli answered. "The ship is still in FTL and from what I could gather, they still seem to have enough power to make it to the next galaxy as planned."

"How do you know this?" Carter asked.

"You checked up on them, didn't you?" Dr. Jackson guessed.

"I was there about an hour ago." Eli confirmed.

"Isn't that considered interferring?" Dr. Jackson asked rather challengely.

"No. Everyone was asleep and I was just checking the system to make sure everything was on track." Eli answered. "Also, I asked for permission first. I was cleared before I left."

"That's nice." Landry chimed in again. "So where does that leave us now?"

"Well, I came by to let you know everyone on Destiny was all right." Eli replied. "Now I've got to take off."

"Where do you think you're going?" Landry said as he tapped a button on his desk. Within moments, securty guards came into the room.

"General, that's not going to make much of a difference." Dr. Jackson called out.

"Why not?" the general replied. He then got his answer when he looked around the office. Eli had vanished into thin air and was gone.

"That's why." Col. Carter answered. "Eli is an ascended being. He's pure energy. He can go anywhere he wants, anytime he wants."

"Where is he now?" Landry asked.

"Anywhere." Dr. Jackson replied. "He could be back on another plane of existance with the ascended ancients, or all the way back on Destiny if he wants."

"That's a twist I didn't see coming." Landry confessed as he sank back into his chair. He tapped a button on his phone. "Connect me to the Pentagon. I need to speak with Col. Telford, immediately!"


	5. Chapter 5

When Eli opened his eyes, he was no longer in General Landry's office. He was back at the house that he had lived in his entire life before leaving for the Icarus project. He walked around the house looking for his mother, but she wasn't home. Eli had all the time in the world, so he walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. For the first time in years, he grabbed the remote and turned the television on, and just spent the next few minutes channel surfing. He put his feet up on the coffee table, which he knew always upset his Mom but he'd put them down when she got back.

Eli left the television on the Sci-fi network, but started to get the munchies. He wandered to the kitchen and tossed a bag of popcorn into the microwave. While he really didn't need food anymore, Eli enjoyed the idea of watch the tube and munching on something while waiting for his Mom to come home. He was back on the couch with his popcorn when he heard the door open. Eli took his feet off the coffee table and sat up. "I'm in the living room!" he called out.

Eli was expecting to see his Mom, but someone else walked into the room instead. "Hello Eli." he said as he walked into the living room.

Eli put the popcorn down on the coffee table. "Col. Telford. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"I spoke with General Landry." Telford answered as he slowly walked into the room. "I'm not here to arrest you or anything, I just want to talk. Is that all right?"

"I guess so." Eli replied.

Telford walked closer and paused for a moment. "Are you watching TV?" he asked.

"They're doing a Star Wars marathon. They don't get cable on a higher plane." Eli replied sarcastically.

Telford chuckled as he sat down on the chair opposite of the couch Eli was in. "Glad to see you still have your sense of humor. Ususally death tends to have an effect on that."

"I didn't die, I ascended." Eli corrected. He really didn't need to fool around with Telford. If he had spoken to Landry, odds are he was fully aware of what was going on.

"Landry said you couldn't repair the last stasis pod." Telford said with a sigh. "That's a tough break, Eli."

"I did what I could with the situtation." Eli replied. "Everyone on Destiny is doing all right and the ship still seems to have the power to stay in FTL long enough to get to the next drone free galaxy."

"That's considering nothing goes wrong over the next three years." Telford added.

"Nothing will. I'll be there to monitor it all the way." Eli corrected. "I'll be around to watch and ensure Destiny makes it."

"Wouldn't that be against the rules of non-interference?" Telford asked.

"It might be... I'll have to pass it by the boss first." Eli answered honestly.

Before Telford could say another word, the door opened and two people came through. Mrs. Maryann Wallace was coming home with groceries, and was with Ms. Sharon Walker. They did their shopping together every week to spend time together and talk about their loved ones on Destiny. When Mrs. Wallace realized Telford was in the house she let out a small shriek and dropped her bags. Ms. Walker recognized who was there and didn't seem impressed. "What are you doing in here, Telford?" she harshly asked.

"Well I was just talking to..." he turned back to the couch, but Eli was gone. Telford paused for a moment. "Nevermind. I was actually waiting to deliver a message, from Destiny."

Mrs. Wallace looked back up from her groceries. "Is everyone all right? How is Eli?"

"That's the message." Telford said with a smile. "Everyone is all right and things are well. I wanted you to be the first to know about it, Mrs. Wallace. I didn't mean to startle you. The door was already open when I got here."

"Oh that's all right." Mrs. Wallace said as she gave him a big hug. "Thank you for the message."

"You're welcome Mrs. Wallace." Telford said as he picked up her bags. "Let me help you with this." He walked into the kitchen and put the groceries on the counter. After helping out, he said good bye and walked out the door. Halfway back to his car, he was stopped by Ms. Walker.

"You're hiding something." she said accusingly.

"I am, but I didn't lie." Telford replied. "Everyone on Destiny is doing all right."

"Are they in danger?" Walker asked.

"No more than they were before." Telford answered. "There have been some developments but nothing has changed since I last updated you."

"So they're still asleep?" she then asked.

"Yes, and power in the FTL seems to be holding strong for now." he added.

"Thank God." Walker said wiping a tear from her face.

"I'll let you know if I get any other information, but I really must go." Telford didn't wait for a response and walked back to his car. He was upset that he couldn't speak with Eli more, but would have to wait for his next chance. For now he would have to put surveilence on his mother's home and hope that Eli makes another attempt to visit her. Now all he could do is wait.


	6. Chapter 6

Eli was no longer in the mood to speak with anyone at the moment, so rather than jump to another location on Earth he went back to Destiny. It was quiet, calm and gave him all the time he needed to think. He started to wander around the ships hallways, looking around to make sure everything was still tip top. There was nothing for him to do but look around. Eli stopped when he found out that he walked all the way over to the stasis chambers that were holding his friends in their deep slumbers. He walked into the room and started to inspect the pods to make sure everyone was sleeping and still alive for that matter. Everything seemed good from what he could see. The pods were not draining much power from Destiny's fragile supply, and were holding just fine. Eli looked over Rush's Pod and grinned at him. "You'd be so pissed if you knew where I went."

"Why do you say that, Eli?" a voice called from the other end of the room.

Eli was startled at first, but when he turned around he recognized the old man standing a few meters from him. It was Marrec, one of the ancient elders. It was weird to see the old man on board the ancient ship. "What are you doing here?"

"Just looking around." the old man replied. "You're not the only one who likes this magnificent spacecraft." He walked over to the pod that Eli was looking at. "Dr. Rush I presume?" he said with a smile.

"Yes." Eli confirmed.

"Why would he be upset to learn of your ascension?" Marrec asked.

"Well, he's wanted to ascend for sometime." Eli answered.

Marrec grinned. "When his time comes, you are allowed to assist him with his ascension if you so wish."

"I can?" Eli asked.

"When one of us helps another ascend, it's like you're recommending that person to our people as worthy to be among us." Marrec explained. "That increases someone's odds of fully ascending to our plane of existence."

"I see." Eli said. "Rush is under the impression that he can visit his wife if he were to ascend."

"He would be correct." the old man confirmed.

"He is?" Eli asked, somewhat shocked.

"We do have the ability to to back and forth in space time." Marrec explained. "This is why the code non-interference are so important to us. We could go back and change history if we so choose but don't because we must respect the humans and the choices they make, regardless of how good or bad the outcome is."

"I guess the temptation to interfere is greater knowing that." Eli admitted. "How is it that no one has done it more often?"

"Many have tried and have been harshly punished for it." Marrec answered. "Dr. Jackson tried to use his powers to fight a system lord named Anubis, but it was not his fight. He was directly interfering in not only the fate of mankind, but the entire universe. That was the first time in centuries we had to step in and stop someone. Despite what good Dr. Jackson has done since then, there are some elders who are still irritated at what he attempted to get away with when he was among us."

"They sure know how to hold a grudge, eh?" Eli asked.

"Indeed." Marrec simply answered.

"Is what I'm doing here interference?" Eli asked. "Am I not interfering in the natural course of their future?"

"We debated that a short time ago." Marrec replied. "And while some of us think it is, but many of us agreed the 'sacrifice' you made to save your crew mates was noble. It would be upsetting of you were not allowed to help and something were to happen which would mean your sacrifice was in made in vain."

"I really do appreciate that." Eli said.

"Truth is, you're not the first ascended being to hang around here and make sure the ship continued on its mission." Marrec said as he ran his hand along one of the bulk heads. "Some of us have trouble walking away from our work."

"Your work?" Eli asked.

"This vessel and it's mission was my life's work when I was on this plane of existence. It was the only thing that mattered." Marrec patted Eli on the shoulder as he walked past him. "You would imagine my surprise when you and your friends arrived from the Icarus Gate. Destiny has seen better days, but it's still flying and that's all that matters."

"This is your ship?" Eli said trying to wrap his mind around it. "You built Destiny?"

"I was one of it's engineers who constructed it, yes." Marrec answered.

Eli pondered that for a moment. "This means you're a member of what Dr. Jackson referred to in his video as the 'Anquietas' ancients: The gate builders."

"That is correct. I am one of the gate builders, but I won't take all the credit. I had a lot of help." Marrec replied with a grin.

"Would you be able to help me?" Eli asked.

"What help would you need from me?" Marrec replied.

"You know the ship. You can help me fix a few things to make sure the power we have left will be enough to make it." Eli suggested. "You said it wasn't interference to make sure they made it."

"No, but if we were to fiddle with the panels as they are now, they might explode." Marrec confessed. "They're too sensitive and could result in a loss of power." He walked to the hallway and turned back to face Eli. "Find an alternate source of power to back up the panels. Then we could work on them without worrying about messing things up. Until then, I wouldn't recommend touching anything."

Eli was going to ask another question but Marrec had disappeared. He looked to his left at the pod that contained Chloe. "You're going to make it Chloe, I promise." Eli kissed his hand than and placed it on the pod, holding back a tear. Moments later, Eli disappeared. He teleported to speak with the one person who might be able to help him resolve the Destiny's sensitive power issue.


	7. Chapter 7

Rodney McKay was in his glory. He had been working in the city of Atlantis for over half a dozen years, and never had he seen such a beautiful site. Standing in the main power room, he slapped Zelenka on the back with a smile on his face that no one could take away. For the first time since they took over the station so long ago, there were three full charged Zero Point Modules, known to everyone else as Zed P.M.s powering the city. After all the hard work they provided along with countless others, the city was finally close enough for him to declare fully functional. McKay hit a button and beamed with pride as the last Zed PM fired up and connected with the other two to hum in perfect harmony. There were about a dozen other scientists and engineers in the large room who all applauded the moment, the station had never been more read and more able to defend Earth from possible attacks.

Zelenka walked over to one of the control panels and did a quick reading. "All three modules are holding and are well within parameters, Rodney."

"Of course they are." Rodney said without hesitation as he began to stalk the three modules and watch them, just to confirm it with his own eyes. Suddenly the room became too small for the senior scientist's ego and many people began to clear the room after all the hoopla and move on to other assignments that required their attention.

Zelenka was used to the ego, and didn't even notice the comment as he continued to monitor the panel. "Did you want to go for lunch and give the modules a chance to stretch their legs?"

"I'm not hungry at the moment." Rodney said, not even turning back. He wanted to make sure nothing went wrong, and turning his back on any of them just wasn't an option until he was completely satisfied that all modules would be all right. He had been waiting for so long, ever since the station was in the Pegasus galaxy. Now that it was a defence station on the moon, he was still determined to make sure that Atlantis was fully prepared for any threat that might come earth's way. His own paranoia of death had made him a very efficient worker, and that wasn't lost on General Carter, who had been exaggerating Earth's possible intergalactic threats to get him to move a little faster. Based on the finished product, her strategy worked.

"Maybe if I were to bring lunch here?" Zelenka offered. "That way we can keep an eye on them as long as possible?"

Rodney paused for a moment. "What's for lunch today?"

"I was just going to grab some sandwiches and salads." Zelenka replied.

"All right." Rodney replied. "Grab me an egg salad if there's one left."

"There usually is." Zelenka replied as he left the room.

Rodney didn't even notice him leave and his friend was the last to leave the room. It was just McKay and his three glowing little friends. Rodney didn't really think about Zelenka and lunch at all, and continued to pace around the modules as if they were his new born babies in a nursery and he was their nervous father. He didn't even notice someone else was in the room until he was spoken to.

"Hi there." A voice called out.

Rodney was startled not only because it he never heard the door open but also because it was a voice he couldn't recognize. "Have you ever heard of knocking Mister, because I…" McKay stopped mid sentence when he realized who had arrived. Eli Wallace was behind the control panel that Zelenka had been working over, sitting down and looking them over himself. "Eli?"

"I'm flattered you remember." Eli replied. "After all we only met once."

"How did you get in here?" Rodney asked, "Better yet, why are you no longer on Destiny?"

"Both very good questions." Eli confessed. "I'm just surprised no one has talked to you about me yet."

"Usually I'm the last to hear about everything." Rodney said bitterly as he activated his radio. "McKay to Sheppard!"

"_Sheppard here." _

"We have an intruder in the grid room." McKay immediately called out. "I'm speaking to none other than Eli Wallace."

"_Wallace is here?"_ Sheppard repeated.

"Yes, he is." McKay confirmed. "When did he get back from Destiny and why am I the last to hear about this stuff?"

"_Rodney."_ Sheppard replied with a condescending tone. _"I was just briefed on the situation less than a half hour ago. I was going to brief everyone on the situation at the next meeting at the same time cause it's classified."_

"So what do I do?" Rodney asked.

"_Talk to him. Just keep him there but don't get aggressive."_ Sheppard instructed.

"Sure, all right." Rodney said before turning back to face Eli who had moved away from the controller and over to where the three Zed PMs were humming. "Hey, get away from those! We just turned them on today and I'm not letting anyone touch them."

Eli backed away a few feet and smiled. "No worries. I'm here because I have a technical problem and I knew you were the man who could help."

"Oh." McKay said as he suddenly felt a little better. "I mean, of course. Why wouldn't you come to me with a problem? Everyone else does."

"Well this one is important." Eli said as he walked closer. "The lives of everyone on Destiny depend on what we come up with right now."

Rodney looked down at what Eli was wearing. "No offence Eli, but this whole Jedi wardrobe isn't working for you. What happened to that cool red shirt?"

Before he could answer, Ronan and Sheppard came into the room. While they were armed, neither had their weapons raised as they strolled into the room. Sheppard was the first of them to speak. "Eli, can you tell us what you're doing here?"

"He said he needs my help." McKay answered.

"I'm asking Eli, Rodney." Sheppard corrected. "Eli?"

"I need a source of power." Eli explained. "I'm afraid the Destiny might not be able to make it on its own, so a little bit of power might make the difference between life and death."

"You want one of the Zed PMs, don't you?" McKay concluded.

"I was thinking about it, but I'd thought I would ask first." Eli confessed. "I was going to ask you for advice on options before resorting to using one of those. I thought if anyone could figure out what to do…"

"Yeah, yeah." McKay said as he cut Eli off. "Why don't we break for lunch and we'll powwow about it for a while."

"That's not an option, Rodney." Sheppard said as he walked closer to Eli. "I had a talk with General Landry. He's not exactly a happy camper."

"Well, I got places to go and things to do." Eli said with a smile. "Not exactly on the payroll anymore so you guys really can't tell me what to do."

"Maybe we can have lunch delivered here, have that powwow Rodney was referring to." Sheppard said as he was trying to stall for time.

"That's all right, I already ate. I hit KFC Washington a few hours ago and had this amazing thing called the Double Down… I mean… wow." Eli was smiling as he talked about the obscure sandwich.

"I haven't tried it." McKay replied.

"Do you have any idea how much sodium is in that thing?" Sheppard asked, slightly disgusted.

"I'm not exactly concerned about my cholesterol." Eli answered.

"Fair point." Sheppard conceded.

"What is he talking about?" McKay asked, upset he was again in the dark.

"Eli is dead, Rodney." Sheppard answered. "You don't recognize the garb?"

Rodney looked at the clothing Eli was wearing again and then it hit him. "You didn't!" he called out to the young man.

"Yeah, I kinda did." Eli admitted. "Not as hard as you would expect." he was about to talk more about his ascension, but stopped. "You're stalling." Eli said to Sheppard as he looked around the room. "You're trying to trap me."

"We are?" McKay asked as he looked over at Sheppard.

"We are trying to keep you here so we can talk." Sheppard confessed. "We are not going to hurt you Eli."

"No, you're not." Eli turned to face McKay. "Sorry Rodney."

"For what?" McKay asked.

Eli was actually standing at the control console and hit a button on the panel that turned off all three Zed PMs. This caused the power in the entire station to black out. It took only three seconds for the backup power to kick in and save the station from losing life support, but that was all the time Eli needed. When the lights came back on, Eli was gone. He had vanished again into thin air just as he had earlier in General Landry's office but this time he took something with him. Rodney turned to face the modules, and he immediately noticed that one of the Zed PMs had been removed. Eli had taken one with him for whatever he was going to need it for on Destiny.

Rodney McKay didn't look at anyone as his face flushed into a very dark shade of red. "Oh, come on!" he screamed out to no one in general. "You've got to be kidding me!"

"You going to be all right, Rodney?" Sheppard asked.

"Yeah." Rodney said as he started to calm down. "Eli did say it was a matter of life or death. I would have done the same for you guys."

"Really?" Sheppard asked.

"Not if you keep leaving me in the dark about updates from Destiny!" McKay snapped back as his fuse was very short.

Zelenka came back into control room with two platters of food. "I came back as soon as I could, is everything all right?"

"No, it is not." Rodney said as he took a seat. He looked at the platter. "Egg salad?"

"I'm sorry Rodney." Zelenka answered. "Tuna was all they had left."

"Son of a bitch!" Rodney screamed as he stood up and stormed out of the room.

Zelenka watched McKay storm out in shock and turned to Sheppard. "I'm confused."

"Not you, Zelenka." Sheppard motioned to the Zed PMs. It took only seconds for Zelenka to realize why McKay was so furious. Zelenka dropped the two trays onto the table in front of him and started to pace around the two remaining modules, cursing in a language Sheppard couldn't understand.

As Sheppard left the room, he activated his own radio. "Sheppard to Gate Room. I'm on my way up. Contact Stargate Command and inform General Landry we have an update on Eli Wallace."


	8. Chapter 8

Eli had returned to Destiny and he arrived, Marrec was waiting for him. Eli could tell by the stern look on his face that he wasn't impressed. "Interference?"

"Not yet, but you're pushing your luck, Mr. Wallace." Marrec admitted.

"Well, it's just a backup to make sure the power doesn't go out." Eli explained. "What if I promise to return it before anyone wakes up?"

Marrec seemed rather curious about the idea. "Explain."

"Well, if I return the module to McKay before the crew wakes up, they'll never know it was ever here and won't ask to keep it. I'll give it back to him the way I found it, fully charged and ready to go."

Marrec paused for a moment. "The elders are satisfied. You are to return this module before anyone awakes. Anything more would be considered interfering and the elders will not hesitate to punish you for it as they did Dr. Jackson."

"Thanks." Eli said as he cracked a smile. "I just want to be sure they'll make it. I don't want my sacrifice to be in vain."

"I understand, Eli." Marrec said as he began to walk down the hallway. "Follow me."

Eli did as he was told and the two beings wandered through the halls of Destiny for what seemed like days but was only a few hours. They said very little at first, but finally Eli's patience got the best of him. "Where exactly are we going?"

"To the only place where that module can be connected to Destiny's power cells." Marrec answered. "We're not too far from it now."

"Why don't we just beam there?" Eli asked. "Why the walking?"

"Some of you might say that I'm a sentimental old fool." Marrec said as he placed a hand on one of the bulk heads. "I could wander around this ship for centuries and never bore of it."

"Kind of like Scotty and the Enterprise." Eli observed.

"Sorry?" Marrec asked, slightly confused.

"Nevermind." Eli replied as he resumed walking to keep up. "I need to ask you a few questions."

"Very well." Marrec said. "What would you like to know?"

"When I was here, alive, on Destiny..." Eli started, "There were moments when the ship almost seemed to come alive and defend itself. Did you have anything to do with that?"

"Such as?" Marrec asked.

"Like when a member of the Lucian Alliance was fried in the hallway." Eli inquired. "I know you're not supposed to interfere, but did you have anything to do with that."

"Maybe." Marrec cryptically answered. "I didn't directly do anything, but I might have kicked started a few dormant programs that allow the ship to defend itself."

"I see, so you've been watching over us?" Eli asked.

"No, I've been watching over my ship." Marrec corrected. "You just happened to be here."

"So basically I'm getting away with this now because you've been getting away with helping Destiny for a very long time now." Eli said, already aware of the answer.

"In a word, yes." Marrec confirmed. "If this had been any other situation I am not sure the elders would have been as considerate with your actions."

"Fair enough. I promise to be more discrete." Eli said.

"I appreciate that Eli, as will the elders." Marrec replied.

Eli took a deep breathe. "I have another question to ask."

"Go a head." Marrec said without turning back to face him.

"I was under the impression from the video Dr. Jackson made concerning ascension that my body would turn into pure energy along with my soul. But my body is still down here, in the infirmary. Do you know why?"

"I do." Marrec answered. "But at this time I am not allowed to discuss it." Marrec suddenly stopped walking. With a wave of his hand, two large doors before the opened all by themselves. "This is the place."

The two men walked into the room, and Eli couldn't recognize it but it was very close to the power cells that carrried Destiny through space. Once in the room, Marrec made a gesture for the Zed PM, and Eli immediately handed it over. He watched as Marrec began to connect the power source to the module, and once it was connected the difference was instantanious. Lights in the hallway light up, the engines seems to hum a little better and things seem to look a little more normal and not as dark as it did before.

Eli smiled. "I think its working."

"It is." Marrec said as he returned the smile. "Now that the Destiny has an alternate power source to rely on should something break down, you are free to make any repairs you deem necessary.

"That's awesome." Eli said, still smiling. "Thanks for your help."

"Like I said Mr. Wallace, we are both here for our own agendas. They just happen to benefit one another at the moment." Marrec said. "But you are welcome."

Eli wanted to ask another question but when he turned to look at Marrec, he was gone. This gave Eli a small idea of what it was like for everyone else on earth when he was zapping in and out of their plane of existance. It was like Batman bolting on Commissioner Gordon in mid sentence, making him look like a fool on the room of the Police Station. He felt bad about what happened on the Atlantis station and McKay but he was confident the military men who came in were up to something. He didn't trust them enough to hang around to find out what they were up to but at the same time he didn't want to leave them brewing in anger either. He needed to head back to earth and explain himself to someone. The real question was who could he trust at this point to not freak out and give him a moment to talk. The answer to his own question came quickly as if it came from the book he was reading a while back. Eli knew what he had to do and as quickly as he arrived, he had departed from Destiny. On his way back to Earth to do a little damage control.


	9. Chapter 9

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><p><strong>Ascension (Part 9):<br>**

After a long and very boring day at the office, he was eager to just sit back with a few beers and watch the game. He was tempted to cook up a few steaks but that would require him to work, so ordering out sounded like the plan for the evening. He had picked up a few six packs on the way home and was eager to just get out of his monkey suit and relax in some sweats. Being in full dress uniform for formal meetings was about the worst thing to do, especially in the middle of this summer weather. After fiddling with the keys and opening the door, he strolled into the house and walked into the kitchen after disarming the security alarms. Once in the kitchen, he took of his jacket, laid it down on one of the chairs at the table and proceeded to break open a beer as soon as he possibly could and took a few quick slugs to get things started. He was getting way too old to put up with these marathon meetings. His joints were sore and he suddenly began to wish he had installed that hot tub he had been thinking about. He was also contemplating retirement again but knew that was wishful thinking. The world would go to hell in a hand bag if General Jack O'Neil even considered stepping down again.

"Hi there." A voice suddenly called out.

"Son-of-a-bitch!" Jack called out as he realized there was someone in his house. Without hesitation, he reached for his sidearm and pulled his pistol on the young man who was dressed in a rather old looking garb.

"Can you please put that away?" the young man asked with a rather annoyed tone.

"Why should I?" Jack called back with a question of his own.

"Because you can't kill me." He answered.

"Why not?" Jack said as he waved the pistol around. "You're in my house? I'm certainly allowed to shoot intruders in my own house. This is America!"

"I can't be killed because I'm already dead." he replied.

"Good comeback." Jack said as he lowered the pistol. "Zombie?"

"Ascended being."

"Same thing." Jack said as he took another swig of his beer and thought about it for a moment. "Wait a minute, I know you."

"We met on Destiny." The young man answered. "You were in someone else's body at the time but I like to think we made a connection."

"Yes… Eli, isn't it?" Jack guessed.

"Yes, Sir." Eli answered with a smile. "Nice to see you again."

"Give me a moment." General O'Neil replied as he fished in his pocket for his cell phone. He dialled a few numbers. "Carter, it's Jack. I just got home and Eli Wallace is here waiting for me. Yeah, I'm aware that happened. He just reminded me. No, I don't need backup at the moment. He can disappear anytime he wants so you're not going to trap him and the last thing I want you guys doing is messing up my floors again. Who's the general around here, Carter? That's right. Stand down until further notice. Eli and I are going to have a little chat. We'll be fine. Thank you." Jack put his cell phone away and looked back at Eli. "Beer?"

"No thanks." Eli replied.

"Just to let you know, McKay is not a happy camper." Jack said, "I've seen that man when he's at his most annoying and that pales in comparison to how over the top he is about this whole Zed PM thing."

"It's just a loaner." Eli said with a grin. "I'll give it back."

"And when exactly will that happen?" Jack asked.

"Three years." Eli answered.

"In other words when Destiny successfully reaches the other galaxy, right?" Jack may not have been a scientist but he knew how to add. "Okay, I can live with that."

"You can?" Eli asked, shocked.

"Of course I can." O'Neil replied. "You're doing it to save your crewmates and I can understand where you're coming from. I'm not getting any younger, so it would be nice if Destiny made it to the next system sometime this millennium. McKay will have to live with it as long as you promise to return that module as you found it."

"Yes, Sir. I'll give it back fully gassed and in working order." Eli sarcastically said with a grin, knowing that he had gotten away with a lot.

"Works for me." Jack said as he tossed a can in the blue box and cracked open a new one. "Man I could really go for some ribs right about now."

"Sounds cool to me." Eli confessed.

"You can eat?" Jack asked.

"I can do anything you can, just not die." Eli answered before holding out his hand to the General. "Can I burrow your credit card?"

"What for?" Jack asked, somewhat protective of his plastic.

"Well I can beam anywhere I want." Eli answered. "I just don't have access to ATM with these clothes on."

"Okay." Jack said as he pulled out his wallet. "Don't slurge. I don't get paid as much as you think I do."

"Be right back." Eli said just before he vanished into thin air.

Jack stood there and took a deep sigh before finished off his second can of beer. He was about to open a third before he heard a loud knocking at the door. Hoping it wasn't Carter disobeying a direct order, he casually called out as he walked over. "Who is it?"

"Jack, it's Daniel!" a voice called from outside.

"Sorry, geek quota is already filled up in here." Jack called back.

"Jack, open the door." Daniel called out. "I just want to speak with Eli."

"All right, but you are not stealing any of my ribs." Jack replied.

"Excuse me?" Daniel asked.

"You heard me." Jack called out. "You want in, keep your hands off my food."

"All right, I don't care." Daniel agreed, frustrated by the conversation.

Jack opened the door. Daniel was there with Carter and what seemed like two dozen armed marines in full swat gear. He took a deep breath. "I don't care what you think you're going to do, but only Daniel is allowed in here. I have the situation under control so all of you stand down. That's an order."

"Yes, Sir." Carter said as she stayed behind with the soldiers.

After Jack closed the door, he and Daniel walked back into the kitchen. Daniel looked around. "Where's Eli?"

"He took my credit card and went out to get some food." Jack replied.

"What?" Daniel asked, somewhat confused.

"He'll be back." Jack said, hoping he wouldn't have to cancel his credit card.

"So we wait?" Daniel asked.

"Beer?" Jack offered.

"No thanks." Daniel answered.

"Good, more for me." Jack replied. As he said that Eli reappeared in the kitchen without any notice what so ever. It startled Jack a bit but he settled down quickly. He noticed the young man had one large bag in each hand. "Where did you get those?"

"There is an amazing steak house near where I used to live." Eli answered. "I got him to make up his best ribs for us to eat. Didn't cost too much and some of the best you'll ever eat."

"We'll see about that." Jack said as he took one of the bags from Eli. He turned to Daniel. "Why couldn't you be this helpful when you ascended?"

Daniel ignored the comment. "I have a few questions I need answered."

"All right, I'll try my best without bending any rules." Eli replied, "Do you want some of my ribs?"

"As long as they're not any of mine." Jack called back.

"Sure." Daniel said as he sat down at the table.

"So." Eli said as he also sat down. "What would you like to know?"


	10. Chapter 10

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><p><strong>Ascension (Part 10): <strong>

Eli remembered sitting down and talking to Daniel for at least twenty minutes. The ribs as he remembered were amazing but he only managed to eat a few before things changed. He was no longer in Jack O'Neil's house, but in a large black void. Eli realized something had gone wrong and took a deep breath. "I didn't break any rules!" he called out.

"We know." A voice replied.

Eli turned around and Marrec was there with several other ascended elders. Some of them didn't look too happy. "So why am I here?"

"We were very happy how you were handling the conversation, but many of us were still very nervous considering who you were speaking with." Marrec answered.

"Dr. Jackson?" Eli answered. "I was only talking to him about Destiny. And mostly about stuff that he could have gotten from Col. Telford."

"We know you were being careful, Eli." Marrec said as he walked closer. "It's just that the elders are still nervous around Dr. Jackson and would prefer that you not speak with him anymore."

"I see." Eli said as he underestimated how sensitive the elders were. "I'm not going to be punished, am I?"

"No." Marrec said, "But we have discussed your situation at great length and everyone has agreed to a compromise. I'm hoping you will side with us on this one and accept our suggestion."

"Which is?" Eli answered.

"Right now your body is in a state of suspended animation." Marrec answered. "Usually your body is absorbed when one ascends, but the elders wanted to keep that intact just in case. Think of it as an insurance policy."

"They're that upset about Dr. Jackson that all ascended beings from Earth are gonna have to put up with this?" Eli asked.

"I'm afraid so."

"That sucks."

"Indeed."

"So what is your great idea?" Eli asked.

"You are to stay here with us for three years." Marrec answered. "When Destiny reaches its new galaxy, we shall return you to your body. Even with Dr. Rush at their side, we are confident that the crew of the Destiny will be lost without your assistance. Their survival is dependent on your survival."

"I'm flattered." Eli said.

"So you agree with our assessment?"

"So I have to stay here?"

"Yes, no more casual visits to earth."

"What about Destiny?"

Marrec smiled. "I had a feeling you would ask that. We will allow you to visit Destiny to check up on them and make sure they're safe. Since no one is awake and can see you, the Elders as you say will be cool with that."

"Then we have a deal." Eli said as he extended his hand.

Marrec shook it. "We appreciate your co-operation Mr. Wallace. Despite their hesitation, you are slowly mending the trust that Dr. Jackson ruined many years ago."

"So does that start right now?" Eli asked.

"Not yet." Marrec said. "We also agreed to let you see one more person before your banishment from Earth begins. We have set something up so you will not be interrupted by Col. Telford this time."

Eli paused for a moment. "Thank you."

"Come with me Eli." Marrec said as he grabbed his shoulder and walked with him. Seconds later they were in a large park.

There were dogs, kids playing on swings and slides. Far away on her own was a woman, sitting on a bench and eating her lunch. Eli recognized her and smiled back to his elder. "Thank you, Marrec."

"You only have a few moments, Mr. Wallace." Marrec answered. "There is a spy watching her from a distance. We have placed a small barrier around her. Time outside of it has slowed down outside it so they will not see you until its too late. Speak with her, and say good bye. She will not be hearing from you for another three years."

Eli nodded and stepped forward. He could feel the field Marrec was talking about as he stepped through it. As he did, the clothes he was wearing had changed. He was no longer wearing a white robe, but was dressed in blue three piece suit with a baby blue tie. Was a very smart move by Marrec as the military was looking for a kid in a white robe rather than some dude in sharp suit. Eli walked up to the lady sitting on the bench and cracked a big smile. "Hi Mom."

She looked back up and couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only was it her boy, but he was looking better than ever. "Eli?" She looked around. "But how?"

"I'm not allowed to explain, and I don't have too much time." He walked up to her and gave her a big hug. "I've missed you so much."

"I missed you too." His mother said as she sat back down. Eli walked over and sat down beside her. "What's going on?"

"To be honest, we're sleeping." Eli answered. It was partly true. "I am here because of something I learned from a friend. Kind of like ESP but I'm all right. The ship is travelling between galaxies, and it's going to take three years for it to make the trip."

Eli spent the next several minutes describing why they had to go into stasis and that she would have to be strong and wait for him. His mother nodded and reached over to hold his hand. "I believe in you, Eli." She said with a smile. "You are capable of doing anything as long as you put your mind to it. I will wait here as long as I can. I will never give up on you."

Eli wiped a tear from his eye. "You have no idea what that means to hear you say that."

"_It's time to go, Eli."_ A voice whispered into his ear.

Eli stood up. "I have to go, Mom. I love you."

She stood up and hugged him again. "You come back to me when you can." She ordered.

"I will, I promise." Eli answered. "I need you to sit down and close your eyes."

Eli's mother did as she was told. She sat there and waited as long as she could. "How long should I do this." She opened her eyes and the answer was evident. Eli had vanished and was gone.

Eli had beamed away from Earth and was back with the elders and the other ascended beings again. Back in his robe and in the village where it all started. He looked back to Marrec with a beam of pride. "Thank you very much."

"It is I who should thank you, Mr. Wallace." Marrec said with as smile. "It's not easy taking care of that ship, and the job will only get harder when you go back."

"I will do my best." Eli said with a smile. "Especially since I'll have to deal with Rush. I hope the next time I kick the bucket you'll be willing to take me back."

This time it was Marrec's turn to smile. "The odds are slightly in your favour Mr. Wallace. More than one of us up here gained a new respect for you. You are welcome to return when your time is up on your plane of existence."

"Thank you." Eli said as he looked around. He was back in the village that he first saw when he ascended. "So three years, eh?"

"It will seem a lot longer up here." Marrec confessed.

"So I guess I should hit the book and catch up on some reading, eh?"

"A wise decision, Mr. Wallace." Marrec patted the young man on the shoulder. "I would strongly suggest you read and memorize the engineering specs of the ship called Destiny. I heard the man who wrote them was quite a smart fellow…"

Eli watched the old man walk away and it dawned on him what was being suggested. Eli ran off for his tent to do some more studying. He had three years to learn as much about that ship and the galaxy it was travelling to before it was too late.


	11. Chapter 11

Now readers can vote for the next fan fiction. Go to my profile page to cast a vote! There are a good variety of choices, and the poll will close on January 3rd, 2012 at midnight.

The show/movie that gets the most votes will have a story written (min 2500 words) and posted on Fan by January 15th, 2012.

_PJ_

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><p><strong>Ascension (Part 11): <strong>

Things were very hazy at first, but that had to be expected since his eyes were closed for a little over three years. Colonel Young's head wasn't too kind either, as he stepped out of the stasis chamber with what felt like the mother of all hangovers. His eyes were still trying to focus and were taking their sweet time doing so, which left Young to reach around the room trying to find something to grab onto so he wouldn't fall over. A few seconds later, he felt someone grab his hand.

"Rush?" he called out.

There was no response.

"Eli?" he then called out, hoping for the best.

"Good morning, Colonel Young." A voice called back.

"I can't see you." Young confessed. "But you have no idea how great it is to hear your voice."

"How are you feeling?" Eli asked.

"My vision is very blurry and I haven't felt this bad since I woke up the night after my bachelor party." Young admitted. "How long have we been under?"

"According to Destiny you were snoozing for three years, four months and change." Eli answered.

"Now that's what I call a power nap." Young said as he chuckled out loud.

"Let me walk you to the infirmary." Eli offered. "TJ is waiting for you."

"TJ's awake?" Young asked.

"I woke her up first just in case there were medical issues." Eli answered.

"Did you have any medical issues with the stasis pod?" Young asked.

"We'll talk about that after TJ looks you over." Eli said as he started to help Colonel Young walk into the hall way.

"Slow down there whipper snapper." Young said as he was having trouble walking. His legs felt sore and tight as if he had just been working out for the last several hours.

It took close to twenty minutes for Young to walk to the infirmary, but the longer they were walking the less his legs hurt as they were finally getting stretched out. The moment Eli walked in with Colonel Young, TJ came running over to help him to one of the beds in the infirmary. "How are you feeling, Sir?" she asked.

"Hungover." Young said as he laid down on the bed.

"That's apparently a normal response." TJ said as she stuck him with a needle, giving him an injection into his right arm. "Just relax and you'll feel better very soon."

"All right." Young said as he knew better than to talk back. Before he knew it he was asleep again. A few hours had passed before Young opened his eyes again. This time the fog had disappeared and he was finally able to see again. "That's much better." He said as he sat up. He still felt a little woozy, but was able to get back to his feet. Eli and TJ were still in the infirmary with him. "What's up?"

"Well," Eli started, "We just wanted to talk before waking anyone else up."

"All right," Young said as he wiped some crust from his eyes. "Is it all right if we do this over lunch? I'm starving."

They went to the mess, but the only thing that hadn't gone bad in the last three years was the military rations they had left for the trip to the other galaxy. At the moment, Young was not in the mood to be picky as he ate the food happily. "What's going on here?" he suddenly asked.

"I just thought it would be good to talk before getting everyone else up." Eli said. "Especially before Rush woke up."

Young paused for a moment. "What exactly is the problem?"

"I have no idea." TJ replied. "Eli wanted to wait for you to wake up to talk about it."

"When Dr. Rush gets up." Eli said as he found it hard to find the words. "He'll be the only one who will notice that the last stasis pod was not repaired."

Young paused for a moment and then laughed. "That's impossible."

"He'll bring it to your attention and I wanted to talk to you before he did." Eli continued. "I wanted you to know about it before he tried to turn you against me."

"My brain must be frozen from the sleep because I'm just not getting it." Young stated as he put down his fork. "If you didn't fix the last stasis pod, then what happened?"

"I died three weeks after you went under." Eli answered.

"That's not funny, Eli." Young said as he wasn't in the mood for jokes.

"This is the part that's going to upset Rush." Eli said as he pulled out a small disc and placed it on the table.

"What's that?" TJ asked.

"It's one of Dr. Jackson's Stargate lecture videos." Eli replied. "This particular lecture is about the history of the ancients and how they built the Stargates."

"I remember that one." Young said as he smiled. "I fell asleep ten minutes into it."

"So you never watched the part about ascension?" Eli asked.

Young paused for a moment. "Dr. Jackson talks about ascension in that video?"

"That's why Rush kept it." Eli answered. "I had all the time in the world on my hands so I started snooping around everyone's stuff and I came across this video."

"Rush wanted to ascend?" Young guessed.

"He did because he thought he would be able to visit his wife again if he joined the ancients." Eli answered.

"What are you trying to tell us, Eli?" TJ asked.

"I ascended." Eli confessed.

Colonel Young paused for a moment. "You're serious about this?"

"I am." Eli replied. "Colonel Telford can confirm that for you if you want."

"How exactly can he do that?" Young asked.

"I paid a few visits to Stargate command." Eli answered. "I dropped in on earth a few times after I ascended."

"You could do that?" Young asked, as Eli had his full attention.

"Not only that, but Rush was right… I could travel back in time and watch and look at things that no one could see." Eli answered. "Basically, I know a lot more now than I ever did before." he pointed to Colonel Young's glass. "You want another glass of water?"

Young paused for a moment. "Shouldn't we ration it off until we re-supply?"

"Nope." Eli said as he grabbed his glass and Colonel Young's and walked over to the wall near their table. Eli hit a few buttons and a small hatched opened. He placed the glasses in there and they both filled with water.

Colonel Young hopped up from his seat and looked at the hatch. "What is that?" he asked with sincere surprise.

"It's the water filtration system." Eli replied. "Destiny collects hydrogen and oxygen particles while flying in hyperspace and then uses them to create water here on the ship."

"This has been here all along?" Young asked.

"It was broken." Eli admitted. "I fixed it before you woke up."

"How did you even know it was there?" Young asked.

"I had help." Eli answered. "And that's all I'm allowed to say."

"You've been fixing the ship?" Young then asked.

"Right now the ship is working at eighty-five percent efficiency." Eli said with a cocky smile on his face. "I've kept myself very busy."

Young drained the entire glass of water in a matter of seconds. "All right, I think I've heard enough."

"Eli." TJ finally said as she jumped into the conversation. "If you died, how did you come back?"

"I was brought back by the ancients." Eli confessed. "They wanted me to return here to take care of Destiny. They didn't like the idea of Rush being in charge."

Young laughed out loud. "Now that makes sense." He turned to TJ. "How many can we wake up next?"

"Only a few at a time." TJ answered. "Just in case there are issues."

"All right." Young said as he paused for a moment. "I want you to wake up Scott, Greer and Camile."

"What about Rush?" Eli asked.

"We'll let him sleep in." Young replied.

TJ quickly left to get the infirmary ready for the new patients to arrive. Eli walked with Young back to the Stasis chambers.

"You know, they're not very happy with you." Eli said all of a sudden.

"Stargate command?" Young asked.

"No." Eli replied. "The ancients."

Young stopped walking. "Why not?"

"They felt you were a little mean to Rush." Eli said as he was hiding his own disapproval behind the ancients. "Especially the way you left him on that planet to die."

"Did you read my personnel files?" Young asked.

"I told you, I ascended." Eli explained. "That means I could travel back and forth in time undetected. I didn't read about the incident, I witnessed it with my own eyes."

"Eli…" Young said as he tried to think of something to say.

"Don't start." Eli said as he held up a hand. "I already told you, I know everything."

"Everything?" Young asked.

"Right down to the schematics of this ship." Eli answered.

Young paused for a moment. "In my defence, I've regretted that incident greatly."

"I know." Eli replied. "Just don't do it again. No one gets left behind from now on."

"Deal." Young said as he patted Eli on the back and they resumed walking to the Stasis chambers.


	12. Chapter 12

Readers can now vote for the which fan fiction I write next. Go to my profile for more details!

_PJ_

* * *

><p><strong>Ascension (Part 12): <strong>

Rush had been awake for only a few hours, and already he didn't like how things were being run. He had programmed Destiny to wake him up first, but somehow that code was overridden and he was no where near the first to wakeup. All the major players onboard the ship, even Camile were awake and wandering around Destiny days, possibly even weeks before Rush even opened his eyes. This confused him a little but that was nothing compared to his reaction when he saw Eli, alive and well and running around Destiny like nothing had happened. It was impossible. He needed to find the answer.

The first thing he did was check the stasis pods. To his shock, the pod that was leftover was never repaired. Rush didn't understand what had happened. Everyone was accounted for, no one had died and Eli never went into stasis. How could he still be alive after three years? The first person Rush approached Colonel Young. "We need to talk, in private."

"About what?" Young asked as he didn't seem very interested in keeping company with Rush.

"About Eli." Rush answered. "His stasis pod was never repaired."

"I know." Young replied.

"You know?" Rush repeated. "And you're not worried about it?"

"Nope." Young answered rather casually.

'And why not?" Rush demanded.

"Cause Eli told me." Young replied. "Eli and I talked about it at great length when I woke up and I am more than satisfied with his explanation."

"And what was his explanation?" Rush asked.

"And ruin the surprise?" Young said as he flashed a coy grin. "I don't think so, Rush."

"What is going on?" Rush asked as he didn't like being kept in the dark about anything.

"Eli doesn't want you to hear it from anyone else but him." Young answered. "He respects you enough to want to tell you this to your face."

Rush paused for a moment. "How do we know he's telling the truth? Shouldn't we confine him to quarters until…"

"That will not be necessary." Young interrupted. "I've already confirmed Eli's story through very sound and respectable sources on Earth."

Rush paused for a moment as he realize that Young wasn't going to budge on the issue one bit. "And you are sure about this? Who are these sources?"

"Colonel Telford confirmed his story with me." Young answered, "As did many others including scientists like Samantha Carter and Rodney McKay. Is that good enough for you?"

While Rush didn't appreciate Young's reluctance to spill the beans, he could understand why he believed what he had been told. There was no way all these people would cover up for Eli so Rush had to accept whatever Eli had to tell him was true. Rather than put things off and settle back in, Rush went looking for Eli to get the answers he was desperate to find. He found Eli on the bridge, navigating the ship and helping out with everyone else who was there. Rush walked up to Eli and put a hand on his shoulder. "I hear you wanted to speak with me."

"Yes." Eli confirmed. "Let's talk in private."

Rush followed as Eli led them to a room where they could speak in private, and Rush was the first to speak. "What the hell happened, Eli?"

"To be honest, I have you to thank for that." Eli answered.

"What the hell do you mean?" Rush asked, very confused.

Eli reached into his pocket and pulled out a disc. He handed it over to Rush. "I apologize for taking this from your room, but I remember you saying something about it so…"

Rush took the disc from Eli and looked at it. It was the one of the Stargate videos that Daniel Jackson had made to train people on what to expect when becoming a member of the SGC. He looked back at Eli. "Is this my disc that talks about ascension?"

"Yes." Eli answered.

Rush paused for a moment. "Are you trying to tell me that you ascended?"

"I did." Eli answered.

"I don't believe it." Rush said as he looked back down at the disc. He had taken the disc and kept it for him to study. The idea of ascension appealed to Rush because as an ascended being, he could one day be able to visit his wife. He really didn't believe what he was hearing but smiled. "You're trying to tell me that you've been living with the ancients for the last three years?"

"Well, I came back here to check on you guys to make sure everything was all right." Eli answered. "And I did visit Earth a few times too."

"You did?" Rush said as he then remembered what Young had said to him earlier about Earth sources confirming his story. "This is amazing! You ascended!"

"And now I'm back." Eli said with a smile.

"Why didn't you stay?" Rush asked.

"It's not my fault." Eli replied. "The ancients are still a little untrusting after their few experiences with Dr. Jackson."

"He really buggered things up there for us, didn't he?" Rush said. He remembered reading the briefings that Dr. Jackson has filed about his time with the ascended ancients.

"You have no idea." Eli confirmed.

Rush took a seat to realize what he was being told. Ascension was an option. "This is brilliant. We can.."

"Whoa, don't get too excited there." Eli said as he also sat down. "Right now some of the ancients are not too happy with you."

Rush looked back at Eli. "What did I do?" Eli then began to explain to Rush about the knowledge he gained while he was with the ancients. How he now knew about everything that went on with the Destiny, even secrets like how Young left Rush on the planet to die. Rush was finally beginning to believe Eli as he revealed secrets he never told anyone about. "This is pretty deep." Rush said as he began to understand what was going on around Destiny without his knowledge.

"You have no idea." Eli said again as he made sure the door was closed. "When I said I knew everything, I also mean I know what you did to the last stasis pod."

"You do?" Rush asked, even though he knew it was probably true.

"Yes." Eli said as he walked closer. "I know you sabotaged the last stasis pod and the only thing I don't know is why. Were you that afraid of me to the point that you wanted me dead?"

"No." Rush answered. "You were never the intended target."

"Then who…" Eli paused for a moment. "Colonel Young?"

Rush didn't answer, but nodded to confirm the young man's guess.

"It all makes so much sense now." Eli said as he wandered around the room. "You were hoping Young would volunteer to stay out here and die out of some manly military sense of duty. Kind of like the Captain going down with the ship."

"You have to believe me Eli," Rush said as he tried to explain. "I never wanted you to die."

Eli paused for a moment and then back down. "I believe you. I also think that's the real reason why I ascended."

"What do you mean?" Rush asked.

"They've been watching us." Eli answered. "They still are."

"I see." Rush replied as he tried to process everything. "What are you going to tell Colonel Young about the stasis pod?"

"Right now… nothing." Eli answered. "I don't see how telling him anything about the stasis pod will do any good right about now."

"Thank you." Rush said as he tried to seem grateful.

"My silence comes at a price." Eli then explained. "If you want me to keep this detail to myself, you have to promise to stop trying to overthrow Young and work with him."

"All right." Rush conceded. He was aware of what little choice he had so there was no point fighting him over it, especially considering the new clout Eli had with the ancients on his side.

"Regardless if we reach Destiny's final destination or go back home to earth, we'll never reach either if we keep fighting one another." Eli said. "We need to work together, and then maybe we might be able to prove to the ancients that we are worthy of their trust and their company."

Rush smiled as he understood what Eli was saying. "You've gained great knowledge since we last talked Eli. I'm genuinely happy to see you again. You have no idea how bad I would have felt if you never came back."

"I know." Eli said as he opened the door. "Just try to keep your plotting to yourself from now on. They're watching us, and judging us and humanity by the decisions we make."

Eli left the room and closed the door behind him. Rush looked down at the compact disc and realized what implications they held. Ascension was truly within his grasp, but according to Eli it was very far away considering his current standing with many enlightened beings. Rush paused for a moment and then stood to leave. Just as he reached the door he turned back to the empty room and paused. "I'm sorry." he said to the empty room. "And thank you for helping Eli."

As Rush closed the door behind him and walked down the corridor, Marrec stood there with a smile of satisfaction on his face. He was invisible to everyone on board his ship, but he knew Rush was talking to him. "You're welcome." he whispered just moments before returning to his own plane of existence.


End file.
